Southern Illinoise University Athletics
News | Saluki Connections Run Deep in NCAA Championship Game
04/08/2024 | 11:00:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – All eyes will be on Glendale, Arizona on Monday night as No. 1 seeds Connecticut and Purdue battle it out for the NCAA Basketball National Championship. Southern Illinois will be well represented in the game with former Salukis on and off the court.
Saluki Hall of Famer and current Purdue head coach Matt Painter will look to lead the Boilermakers (34-4) to their first championship in the modern era after 19 years at the helm of the program.
After four years as an assistant at SIU, Painter stepped in during the 2003-04 season to lead the Salukis to a 25-5 record and an NCAA Tournament berth before returning to his alma mater. During his one season as head coach, he was named the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year and led the Salukis to a No. 15 national ranking.
Purdue assistant coach Paul Lusk began his playing career at Iowa in 1990 where he spent two years before he found a home at Southern Illinois under head coach Rich Herrin.
Lusk helped guide the Salukis to three straight NCAA Tournament trips (1993-95), earning All-MVC second-team honors in 1994 with a 15.2 scoring average as a junior. As a senior, he earned a spot on the Valley Scholar-Athlete and All-Tournament teams and finished his Saluki career with 1,031 points.
After appearing in 119 games in a Saluki uniform over four seasons SIU alum Lance Jones will look to lead Purdue to a championship. The graduate transfer has helped the Boilermakers to a 34-4 overall record and is third on the team in scoring (11.9) after starting all 38 games this season.
Jones closed his career at Southern Illinois 12th on the all-time scoring list with 1,514 points, third in career 3-pointers (205) and fifth in career steals (176). His 1.48 steals per game ranked fifth in program history.
The game will tipoff at 8:20 p.m. CT on TBS.
FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on X at @SIU_Basketball, on Instagram at @SIU_Basketball, and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SIUBasketball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Saluki Hall of Famer and current Purdue head coach Matt Painter will look to lead the Boilermakers (34-4) to their first championship in the modern era after 19 years at the helm of the program.
After four years as an assistant at SIU, Painter stepped in during the 2003-04 season to lead the Salukis to a 25-5 record and an NCAA Tournament berth before returning to his alma mater. During his one season as head coach, he was named the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year and led the Salukis to a No. 15 national ranking.
Purdue assistant coach Paul Lusk began his playing career at Iowa in 1990 where he spent two years before he found a home at Southern Illinois under head coach Rich Herrin.
Lusk helped guide the Salukis to three straight NCAA Tournament trips (1993-95), earning All-MVC second-team honors in 1994 with a 15.2 scoring average as a junior. As a senior, he earned a spot on the Valley Scholar-Athlete and All-Tournament teams and finished his Saluki career with 1,031 points.
After appearing in 119 games in a Saluki uniform over four seasons SIU alum Lance Jones will look to lead Purdue to a championship. The graduate transfer has helped the Boilermakers to a 34-4 overall record and is third on the team in scoring (11.9) after starting all 38 games this season.
Jones closed his career at Southern Illinois 12th on the all-time scoring list with 1,514 points, third in career 3-pointers (205) and fifth in career steals (176). His 1.48 steals per game ranked fifth in program history.
The game will tipoff at 8:20 p.m. CT on TBS.
FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on X at @SIU_Basketball, on Instagram at @SIU_Basketball, and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SIUBasketball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
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